


the world forgetting, by the world forgot

by itwasntajokeiswear



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-16
Updated: 2013-03-16
Packaged: 2017-12-05 11:25:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/722750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itwasntajokeiswear/pseuds/itwasntajokeiswear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind au. Harry and Louis meet, and meet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the world forgetting, by the world forgot

**Author's Note:**

> very short drabble based on my favorite movie! special thanks to kirra (nickgrimshade.tumblr.com) for support/inspiration. title from "Eloisa to Abelard" by Alexander Pope, mentioned in eternal sunshine.

the first time was almost an accident.

they met at a concert, bumped into each other and smiled and Louis raises his eyebrows, asks Harry if he’s enjoying the show. _now I am_ , he says, smiles and turns his head toward the stage. by the end of the night, they’re in the bathroom and there’s nothing but breath and gasps and louis’ laugh, amazed at his good luck.

his parents divorce a few months later--his dad moves away and louis erases him on an impulse, says _he wasn’t my real dad anyway_ and _I don’t need to remember him_ and _I can learn from my own mistakes_. his mother barely had a say before it was done.

his dad had bought him the tickets, though, so he lost harry, too.

\-------

they meet again a year later, in a grimy bathroom in a soundstage in the city. thousands of kids their age auditioning. harry’s immediately drawn to louis, of course, remembers him clearly—and it should be fuzzy, it should be because there was the noise and the lights and the beers he definitely did not steal from his stepfather, but it’s as clear a memory as any he has. louis smiles at him, seems intrigued in return and harry’s elated, thinks _he remembers he remembers he remembers me_ and knows his audition will be alright. he runs into him in the bathroom, and they make small talk and harry knows louis must just be nervous about meeting the lad from the script show because there’s no denying the energy between them. there’s no denying they’ve met before.

as it turns out, though, their auditions don’t work. it’s devastating, and louis leaves as soon as he’s out. gets the entire experience erased from his mind.

harry looked up louis’ number, a few times, but either couldn’t find the right louis or couldn’t make him respond. he lays in bed for days, can’t believe all the opportunities he missed at once. gemma comes up to him one night, tells him of a procedure her friend had once. _you can get your memory erased._ harry stares at her, blinks. _well, not all of it—just a part. a person._

he grabs his old ticket (the one he’d never gotten rid of, the one he kept in his wallet for nearly two years), his audition card and the letter he never sent, and takes them in. he erases louis, too.

\-------

they’re on a train. it’s headed to a beach, up north; their car is nearly empty. harry tries to distract himself, plays a game on his phone and leafs through a magazine and writes, keeps looking up at the boy down the aisle. he smiles back, has soft hair and blue eyes and a bright orange sweatshirt. harry tries to place him but can’t.

the town isn’t big. on the beach, they see each other from opposite sides of the sand; in a coffeeshop, they raise a toast. on the train again, they realize they’re headed to the same station, and louis moves to sit near harry.

it’s familiar and brand new, all at once. harry is nice like always, and louis is dynamic and beautiful and harry never makes grand statements, never wants to dig too deep but he thinks louis is someone he’s never going to stop seeing. later, they somehow end up curled on his couch and louis leans into his ear and whispers with whiskey breath _I’m gonna marry you. I know it_.

harry doesn’t believe a lot, but he believes him.


End file.
